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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The political drama in Rivers State continued yesterday as both factions of the House of Assembly held parallel sittings in Port Harcourt.
The factional loyal Governor Siminalayi Fubara screened and confirmed Emmanuel Frank-Fubara as a commissioner-designate.
The screening and confirmation followed a letter sent by Governor Fubara to the factional Speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo, requesting that the House should confirm Frank-Fubara as a commissioner to serve in the SEC.
Oko-Jumbo, reading the letter during plenary at the temporary facility used for legislative business said Governor Fubara sent the request pursuant to Section 192 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, requesting the nominee be confirmed for swearing in into the State Executive Council (SEC).
During the screening, Frank-Fubara explained that he hails from Abonnema Town in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, adding that he has been in legal practice for 26 years where he managed his private legal chamber in Port Harcourt after being called to bar in 1998.
Frank-Fubara also said having served on several boards and committees in the public sector, he brings a wealth of experience to his new appointment, if confirmed and sworn-in, adding that he would discharge his duties creditably with unalloyed commitment.
Consequently, the clerk of the House has been directed to communicate the confirmation of the commissioner-designate to the Governor Siminalayi Fubara, for possible swearing in as member of the SEC.
The House later reverted to the business of plenary where it opened debate on two bills: the Rivers State Emergency Management Agency Bill, 2024; and the Rivers State Transport Company Reform Bill, 2024.
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The House passed the two bills through a second reading, and committed them to committee stage to allow for further detailed examination with instruction to conduct public hearings and report outcome to the House in the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, the faction loyal to former governor, Nyesom Wike, has given Governor Fubara a seven-day ultimatum to re-present the 2024 budget of the state.
Speaker of the faction, Martins Amaewhule, gave the ultimatum during a sitting.
Fubara had presented the 2024 budget when his current Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, emerged as the speaker. He also signed the budget into law after its passage by the then Ehie-led Assembly.
The Amaewhule-led faction only resumed sitting, yesterday, after several months of legislative inactivity.
A Rivers State High Court had held that Amaewhule and 24 other pro-Wike lawmakers had lost their seats after decamping from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
In its judgment last week, the Court of Appeal overturned the lower court’s decision and declared Amaewhule as the authentic speaker of the House.
The Appeal Court held that the Rivers State High Court had no jurisdiction to hear matters relating to the decampment of lawmakers.
